"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."
Oscar Levant

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Ms Donna Brazile and Arizona

For John, BLUF: History is complicated. Nothing to see here; just move along.

In a way I think we need to be careful about looking at history and assigning blame on today's individuals for those past actions. Yes, the Holocaust happened because of Germans, but that is not today's Germans. The lesson to learn is how a group, probably any group, can fall into some pseudo-science and enact horrid public policy. Gunter and Hildi, college students in Munich, are not responsible for the Nuremberg Race Laws.

So Ms Donna Brazile, a pretty bright and effective leader of the National Democrat Party, Tweeted out yesterday about Arizona Bill SB 1062, (a "religious freedom" bill♠) which was picked up by Twitchy. Here is the original Tweet from Ms Brazile:

AZ GOPers must have amnesia with "No Gays Allowed" bill. Call for a veto

With the Tweet there is a photo of a lunch counter and this caption:

Just so you know. You've already lost this argument—50 years ago. You don't get to decide who sits at the lunch counter.

@dccc @donnabrazile So this is basically the political lie of the year, given that Democrats were the authors and supporters of segregation.

Exactly.

By the way, how serious are we about this kind of thing? For instance, a couple of years ago I needed a jeweler to repair my Rosary. I went to a local jeweler. The jeweler said he couldn't (wouldn't) do it, because there was a Crucifix on the Rosary and that would violate his religious strictures. Can I sue? On City Life on Tuesday, Host George Anthes suggested I could. I wonder if Ms Brazile would Tweet out some support for me?

UPDATE: Back to my neighbor, the jeweler. Nice guy. Not belligerent. He nicely declined to work on my Rosary. I didn't want to make a "federal case", or even a "commonwealth case" out of it. The jeweler is of a minority religion and a minority ethnic group, although not a minority race. Why give him a hard time? This is America and we have a certain live and let live approach to things. It is a big nation and there are lots of jewelers. I still go to him for watch batteries. My real concern is all those Christians in Muslim lands who find themselves discriminated against (this used to include Communist lands as well). We don't hear much about that. Perhaps, for me, in these United States, why does anyone care that Holy Spirit Cupcakes doesn't wish to make a cake for a same sex wedding? Is it really just about forcing someone to submit after years of being forced to submit? Where is the progress in that?

Regards — Cliff

♠ This is fairly complicated, but the focus is on small business owners being allowed to not bake cakes or photograph same sex marriages, because their religious views are offended. At the end of the day, Arizona Jan Brewer vetoed the bill.

If all groups in the parade were marching for the Feast Day, instead of just being Irish the message would be clearer. The organizers could ask all groups to remember it's Saint Patrick's Day and the message is about what he preached.

------------

I'm clear on what I believe and why. I realize I'm the last person on Earth to hold that position, but because my position is based on biological kinship and not homophobia I have nothing to fear.

Will I face future discrimination, but on my religion and anthropological view of the family? Maybe. I'm Catholic. And if that's my cross, I'll take it.

The LGBT movement is not asking for mere passive acceptance. They are demanding that the "other" community accept their "lifestyle" as perfectly normal....especially in the eyes of God (who they regularly invoke) implying that if God accepts them lovingly, why can't heathen conservative Christian homophobes?

It is a dangerous path to follow. I don't know a human who KNOWS what God will accept and for those who wish to argue ideology, the Bible can be "interpreted" to either passively support the LGBT folks...or literally disapprove of it. Personally, I'll leave the judging up to God, but I will reject the notion that someone can dictate what I must believe....and I really couldn't care less what that belief might be.

Who gets to march in a parade is picayune...and to invoke the thoughts of "the Church" makes it even more pitiful. Given the problems besetting the US and the world, what makes ANYONE think that the Pope or any other Christian leader cares about the St. Patrick Day parade in Boston?

The point of the Brazile push back is that which I have just made. She apparently believes that a "Higher power" gets to dictate who gets to sit at the counter.......and perhaps they can dictate...but as with the horse and getting it to the water......

As for Brazile....she is a worn out Democratic hack who can be depended to replay the current DNC party line any time, any place. No thought behind her speech...just rote mouthing of the required dogma.